---
title: "Branch operations"
description: "Drag one branch onto another to merge, rebase, fast-forward, or reset — plus everything else on the context menu."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gitlane.space/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Branch operations

![Drag a branch onto another to merge, rebase, or reset](/screenshots/drag-drop-menu.png)

## Drag and drop

Grab a branch pill — in the commit graph or in the branch navigator — and
drop it onto another branch. GitLane checks how the two branches actually
relate (probing fast-forward in *both* directions) and offers only the
operations that make sense:

| Offered | When it makes sense |
| --- | --- |
| **Fast-forward** | The target can advance to the source with no new commit |
| **Merge** | The branches have diverged and you want a merge commit |
| **Rebase** | You want the source's commits replayed onto the target |
| **Reset** | You want the branch pointer moved, discarding what's ahead |

You never have to remember which flag produces which outcome — the menu is
derived from the actual relationship, not from a fixed list.

The chosen operation runs through your real `git` binary, so hooks,
`.gitconfig`, signing, and the full conflict machinery all apply. If it stops
on conflicts, GitLane switches into the conflict workspace —
see [Merge conflicts](/guides/merge-conflicts).

## The context menu

Everything else is one right-click away in the graph:

- **Cherry-pick** a commit onto the current branch
- **Revert** a commit
- **Squash** a multi-commit selection
- **Create a branch, tag, or worktree** at any commit
- **Compare** any two refs
- **Export** a commit as a patch file

## Reset, previewed

Reset is the one operation where "what exactly am I about to lose?" matters
most, so GitLane answers it before you confirm: the dialog previews the
commits that would fall away. The same applies to branch deletion, discard,
and force-push.

If the repository changed underneath you between the preview and the confirm
— say you committed from a terminal in between — the operation fails cleanly
instead of acting on stale state.

[More on the safety rails →](/guides/safety-and-recovery)

## Pulling and pushing

Pull is **fast-forward only**, with explicit handling when the branches have
diverged — you're told what diverged and asked what to do, rather than
getting a surprise merge commit.

Force-push always uses `--force-with-lease`, and previews the remote commits
it would replace.

A background auto-fetch keeps remote-tracking branches current so the
"behind by N" counts you're looking at are real.

> **Where the credentials come from**
>
> Transport auth is resolved per remote, git-natively — the account is the
> username in the HTTPS remote URL, so your credential helper resolves it the
> same way from a terminal. SSH remotes pick their account by key. See
> [Accounts and identities](/guides/accounts-and-identities).

Source: https://docs.gitlane.space/guides/branch-operations/index.mdx